The Galvanized House

I went back to the store because I could not get the item out of my mind.
I had seen it days before but did not buy it at the time.
I have enough country accessories, I told myself.
Another voice insisted, you can never have enough country accessories.

I thought of the old cartoon where an angel was on one shoulder and a devil was on the other.
Usually the two would be whispering in the person’s ear.
Do it.
Don’t do it.

As you watched the cartoon, you knew what the protagonist had to do.
However, the cartoon’s story line told of the struggle.
Perhaps that is why we enjoy that kind of cartoon so much.
We have the same struggle.

I did not have anyone sitting on my shoulder, whispering in my ears.
Buying the item was not a major decision.
Whether I bought the item or not was insignificant in the scheme of things.
However, Christmas is coming in a little over a month.

I love to decorate our home for Christmas.
The day after Thanksgiving is the day we decorate the entire house.
Everyone participates.
We stop only to have Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch.

I knew that this item would be a wonderful addition.
I knew where I would put it.
I imagined how it would look.
I had to go back to the store.

Upon entering the store, I could not find the item I saw only days before.
I knew that it was on the website; however it was an in-store item only.
I knew that there had been quite a few when I was last in the store.
I decided to walk around towards the Christmas decorations.

Sure enough, it was there on the shelf.
Even though it was not a Christmas decoration per se, it made sense that it would be placed there.
It was a galvanized house.
The house had many windows and a door.

It immediately caught my eye when I saw it.
I knew that it was technically a lantern.
I could put a real candle or an LED candle inside.
I knew that the warm glow would permeate every window.

I bought the galvanized house on my second trip to the store.
I brought it home.
I turned on the LED candle and put it inside.
The house lit up with warmth.

I loved that little house.
It was so welcoming.
It seemed to beckon.
It seemed to say, Come and rest; stay a while.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14: 1-3)

I thought of an old commercial for a hotel.
The commercial was for Motel 6, which was a lower cost alternative to Holiday Inn at the time.
The ad agency wanted one particular voice to do their commercials.
It was the voice of Tom Bodett, who was a National Public Radio personality.

Model 6 may be best known for its series of commercials with National Public Radio personality Tom Bodett, who closed every ad with the line “We’ll Leave the Light On For You.”

When Motel 6 conceived of the idea for a campaign in the mid-1980s, Bodett worked on NPR’s All Things Considered program. The Richards Group, a Dallas- based advertising agency, was hired by Motel 6 in 1985 and thought Bodett would be an excellent spokesman for the chain because of his warm and friendly vocal style. Hired in 1986, Bodett ad-libbed the line, “We’ll leave the light on for you”while in the recording studio for the first time and the slogan was both an instant and lasting success, staying with the chain for over 25 years and counting. (franchisehelp.com)

What Bodett ad-libbed all those years ago, became a tag line that people still remember.
The words conjure up images of warmth and hospitality.
Who wants to come home to a dark house?
Seeing the lights on in a house makes us feel like someone is waiting for us.

Jesus went to prepare a place for us in Heaven.
One day He will come back to bring us Home.
I know that when we see our Home in Heaven, a light will be on for us.
The Light of the World, in all His brilliance and majesty, will welcome us Home.

Our homes here on earth should be beacons of Light for others.
Beacons for the weary, and the tired, and the lonely.
Beacons so the prodigal can find their way home.
Beacons for our family to know that they always have place at the table.

One little galvanized house, bathed in warm light, pointed me Heavenward.
One little galvanized house reminded me of what I want my home to be for others.
Warmth, Hospitality, and Peace are within its walls.
I’ll leave the light on for you.